I have to admit, the sudden surge of activity on my YouTube channel after the Cheap RV Living van tour video has encouraged me to spend more effort over there, resulting in a bit less here. There are a lot of new people there and new ideas for videos. It’s made sense to ride this wave as far as I possibly can. I’ve already hit YouTube’s requirements for how many subscribers I have. Once I hit their watch time requirements, I can monetize the channel and start making a little bit of money off it, hopefully.
Here are some recent videos I made:
These are both based on requests I got in the comments of previous videos for more about motorcycles and ham radio. That video contains part of a contact I made with VE7DXF on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, well over 1,000 miles away. The one I didn’t get on video, but definitely have confirmed in the log, was with JG1OUT, Mac near Tokyo, Japan! That’s not bad at all for 20 watts and a portable antenna.
Tomorrow’s project should be a particularly dramatic one for video: cutting a hole in my roof and installing a second roof vent. This has always been part of my plan for this van, as long as I didn’t need the roof space for an extra solar panel. (I do need an extra solar panel during the shortest days of winter, but it’s much more effective on the ground and tilted toward the sun than flat on the roof.) However, my plans didn’t match up with reality. Because of where my solar panels are and the cross bars in the roof structure, I don’t have enough space for a second Maxxair van.
While the hole required is 14 x 14 inches, the top sticks out far past the back of the hole. This is how it allows air to flow in and out without letting the rain in, which is the biggest advantage of this style of vent. With everything in the way up front, there is no room for this overhang. It’ll either hit my solar panels, or I’d have to cut through a roof support, which I’m not going to do.
As soon as I made this discovery, my friend Logan posted this more basic roof vent he has for sale. It is no larger than the 14 x 14 hole and will almost definitely fit in the space I have available. It’s not weatherproof, so I’ll have to be careful about leaving it open if I leave when there is a chance of rain. It should still work if I have it only a little bit open like this. Best of all, Logan told me to take the vent, test fit it, make absolutely sure it will work, and only then worry about paying him. It’s most kind and trusting of him.
Having a pair of 14 x 14 vents will provide a generous amount of airflow, even with all the doors and windows closed. Both vents have screens, which will keep the bugs out while keeping the temperature down inside. It’ll also be much easier to use than the vent inserts I have for the front windows. They don’t flow nearly as much air as the Maxxair vent, so I don’t get as much of a cross breeze as I’d like with the doors and windows closed. I also have to turn on the ignition just to operate the windows to insert and remove them. The new vent is completely manual, which is not a problem since it will be right over the walkway above my kitchen. It has a basic fan that spins in both directions, but the Maxxair’s automatic fan should be able to do the work most of the time. However, having a fan in the front means that I can use it as an exhaust fan while I’m burning dinner.
Tomorrow that will be my project for the day. I’ll take down some of my roof insulation to expose the bare roof, take even more measurements, and make 1000% sure it will fit before drilling and cutting. I have enough butyl tape and lap sealant left over from installing the Maxxair fan in the back when I first built this van, so I should have everything I need at this point. The weather has warmed up enough for the sealants to cure properly, no longer dropping below 50º at night. As always, cutting a big hole in my roof is a very intimidating task. However, I’ve already installed three of these with no leaks whatsoever, so I’m confident I can make that four. I just need to be extremely careful and certain about it. I also just realized that it didn’t come with any mounting screws, so I’ll have to pick some up today.
Today’s exciting adventure is taking the van into town to do laundry, one of the few tasks I can’t accomplish on my motorcycle. I’ll pick up those screws, a few groceries, and a few other things while I’m in town. It makes sense to get these done while I’m close to town since I plan to head back to Imperial Dam on Sunday, as long as the roof vent installation goes well. Quartzsite is fine, but the warmer temperatures mean it’s warm enough to go kayaking, and I want to explore the various bodies of water down there by kayak instead of only by land. There’s also the Desert Ratt Pack to hang out with, both on the radio and at campfires.
Smokey Da Van 